When Only Dreams Remain
by Wushu
Summary: //C7// //kf// //PT// //Jm// Takes place after Endgame. What happened to the crew once they got home?
1. Part 1

Title: When Only Dreams Remain  
Author: Samurai Sushi  
Series: Voyager  
Code: C/7, k/f, P/T, J/m  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Takes place after "Endgame," the continuing story of Voyager's crew.

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are the sole property of Viacom Inc. and are used without permission. I am receiving no reward other than the fun of writing this story. /P

P Archive: At present only Rift and Slip-point may archive, others please ask. a href"http: is my archive site /P

P AN: Captain Sharif is based off my Kung Fu teacher, the nicest guy you'd ever meet and one of the deadliest too. grin /P

P I know that the formatting is messed up, that is a problem with As soon as i am able to i will upload the correctly formated version.

P /P

P Personal Log, Harry Kim, Stardate 54973.4 /P

P "With the help of the future Admiral Janeway, we have made it home to earth and have delivered a crippling blow to the Borg, however it also cost her life. Upon returning to Earth, I learned that the rumors were true, Seven of Nine is involved in a 'romantic affiliation' with Commander Chakotay. While this is devastating news for me, I can't help but be happy for her. When I learned that Libby had moved on and gotten married I was happy for her as well. Libby promised me that we could still be friends, but I wouldn't do that to her husband, she's better off never seeing me again. Knowing that she's happy, I too can now move on, unfortunately it was Seven that I wanted to move on too. But that is in the past, I can't help but be happy for Seven, I want her to be happy, even if it is with another man. In the future the pain of losing the one woman I have ever truly loved will be buried in my soul, kept there by dreams of being with her, what else can I do when only dreams remain." /P

P End Log /P

P /P

P Looking back at the entry he had just recorded, Harry Kim was filled with a sadness he had never felt before in his life. /P

P Harry had never felt he was much of a poet, but this one time he was inspired to write a poem. The sad events that he had just revealed in his log had opened a door to his demons and they were longing to escape. The only way he would allow them to escape would be through prose. /P

P Sitting at his desk with a PADD in hand he began to write. /P

P Speaking out loud he said: "Maybe I'll let someone see this poem, someday anyway." /P

P Speaking to himself as he wrote, he felt better about his life, he knew he wasn't crazy and that was good enough for him. /P

P He continued to write, rejecting one poem after another, for hours. If anyone had seen him sitting there with only the desk lamp on, shining over his shoulder onto the PADD, they would have said that this was a different Harry, and they would have been right. /P

P /P

P Two days after recording his final log as I Voyager's /I Ops Officer, Harry and the rest of the crew were all invited to a party in their honor, being thrown by Starfleet. /P

P In his quarters, Harry sat re-reading the invitation that was sent to him. /P

P It read/P

I P "You Are Cordially Invited To The 'Welcome Home Voyager' Celebration As A Guest Of Honor." /P

/I

P /P

P "A party, what fun!" He said sarcastically to no one as he threw the invitation onto the sofa. "Well seeing as how I have been ' I Cordially Invited /I ' I don't see as how I can refuse the invitation." /P

P Moving around his quarters, Harry set about packing away his personal belongings for the trip home to see his parents. /P

P /P

P Half way around the ship, Seven was reading her own invitation and contemplating her own life so far. /P

P "Do I want to go to this celebration? Everyone else will be there, they will all ask questions if I do not attend. However, it will appear very bad if I don't attend when the entire crew has been invited." All this went through her mind as she was packing away her few personal belongings into a crate. /P

P As she finished packing she came to a decision, "I will go." She decided with the certain finality that made her famous among the crew. /P

P Having made up her mind she decided to finish up some final assignments before time to go to the 'celebration'. /P

P /P

P The celebration was held in the Grand Ball Room at an old hotel named "The Hotel Del Coronado" In San Diego California. The hotel was once the playground to the elite of California society, with several movies and television shows filmed there. Tom Paris would have loved it during its heyday. The history of the place alone would intrigue him for years. /P

P The 'Crown Room', as the ballroom is called, was filled to near capacity with the former members of the lost vessel I Voyager /I and their families. Many academy graduates were there to welcome home their former classmates. /P

P The party was in full swing when Owen Paris came out onto the stage set up in one corner. /P

P "May I have your attention please, will the crew of I Voyager /I please come to the stage. We are starting the ceremony." Admiral Owen Paris called over the PA. /P

P The members of I Voyager's /I crew made their way to the stage, after the crew gathered there, the Starfleet Admiralty came out on stage. /P

P "Ladies and Gentleman, Beings of all races. Those gathered on the stage behind me were lost in the Delta Quadrant for 7 years. Upon their return to the Alpha Quadrant they brought with them new technology, information about new races, information on known races, namely the Borg. These people have given much to return to us, many live were lost, and a few were created. Ladies and Gentleman I give you the crew of the I USS Voyager. /I " /P

P Admiral Paris, speaking as spokesman for the Admiralty, moved aside to give applause to I Voyager's /I crew. /P

P After several moments of applause, Admiral Paris got the crowd under control so that commendations and awards could be given. /P

P "Captain Janeway, please come to the podium and present your promotions." Admiral Paris said /P

P "Thank you Admiral, for the past seven years it has been my privilege to serve with the best crew a Captain could ever have. Over the past seven years I have grown to know the people behind me as both officers and as family. It is my honor to give those people their promotions and commendations." /P

P Janeway then called every member of the crew, giving them either promotions or commendations, some receiving both. /P

P The senior staff was the last to receive their commendations, with those of higher rank receiving theirs first. Chakotay was allowed to keep his rank and was promoted to Captain and offered the command of several ships in the fleet. /P

P After many long talks, Starfleet had decided that the Maquis crewmembers had earned their right as Federation Citizens to serve aboard a starship, they had granted a full pardon to all Maquis crewmembers. They were, the Admiralty reasoned, only protecting their homes and lives. /P

P Tuvok was promoted to full Commander. /P

P Both the Paris' were promoted to full Commander as well, with Tom receiving a commendation for his bravery during the Warp 10 test flight. B'Elanna received a commendation for her ability to keep the ship together under conditions that were not conducive to a working vessel. /P

P And last, but not least (well maybe), was Harry. After everyone had received their awards they left the stage and returned to their guests, leaving just Harry, Janeway, and the Starfleet brass. /P

P "And now we come to the close of this ceremony, and the final member of my crew. Ensign Harry Kim has served this ship and her crew valiantly to the point of giving up his life so that they may live. Luckily the Doctor was always able to revive him." A small chuckle rolled through the I Voyager /I crew members, the Doctor with a smug smile on his face. Even though they all knew there was a time when the Doctor couldn't save him. "He has been a role model to the junior members of the crew, and to those of us on the senior staff. I know for a fact that if Harry Kim hadn't been a member of this crew, we would never have gotten home in the amount of time that we did. His dedication to Starfleet is unwavering, and I am proud to have been his Captain. Ensign Harry Kim, I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant full grade." /P

P The applause from the crowd was deafening, so it was only Harry who heard what Janeway said in his ear. "Thank you Harry." /P

P After the ceremony, there wasn't much for Harry to hang around for, the party was still going strong but he felt an urge to return to his quarters aboard I Voyager /I . /P

P He left the party as soon as he could, slipping out the door when no one was noticing, or so he thought. There was only one person in the room who saw him leave, Seven of nine. /P

P /P

P Back in his quarters, Harry had finished packing his belongings, they sadly filled the one bag he had brought with him all those years ago, when he came aboard as an Ensign. /P

P "Computer, play music file, 'Kim-jazz-7'" he ordered for what he knew would be the last time. While the sounds of Louis Armstrong filled the nearly deserted quarters, Harry sat on his couch and listened to the soft waves as they gently rushed over him. /P

P He sat there for a few minutes before getting the courage to step through his doors for the last time. /P

P "Computer, end play back and delete all personal music files for Harry Kim." /P

P "Affirmative, deletion complete." /P

P Moving to his window he took a long look at the planet they had tried so hard to get back to for 7 years. Earth, it seemed so foreign to him now, the Delta Quadrant was more of a home. With a final sigh he moved towards his door, stopping when he encountered someone else there. /P

P "Hello Seven, what can I do for you?" he asked, keeping all emotion from his voice. /P

P "You left the celebration early, is it not customary to stay the entire duration?" /P

P "Yes it is, but I really didn't feel like celebrating, so I left to finish packing," he said as he left his quarters, the doors closing with a sad finality. /P

P "You want to know something funny Seven?" he asked as he began walking, not heading anywhere, just walking, she followed beside him. /P

P "Yes," was her only reply, but after knowing her for so long he smiled, knowing she was enthusiastic to hear what he said, how he loved this women/P

P "This mission was I Voyager's /I first mission, her first real mission anyway. We were her first real crew, not counting the shakedown cruise she took. Her first mission and already she's going into the Starfleet Museum along with the I Phoenix /I . Most ships live out their entire service career and never make it to the Museum." /P

P "This vessel has done more good in its short career than most others do in their entire service." /P

P Harry, still in his depression asked the question that was nagging him. /P

P "What good have we done Seven? all I can remember is the bad, the pain, the death. Please tell me what good this ship has done?" /P

P Seven was momentarily startled by his reaction, all his pent up pain came breaking to the surface with his explosion. /P

P "Several things; for one, you freed the Ocampa from the rule of the Kazon. You saved countless lives, you helped the Viidians cure the Phage, and most importantly you severed a Borg from the collective and learned that they can be restored to their former lives. You learned that a Borg severed from the collective can regain all her emotions and feelings, and that she can love, just as if she were never assimilated." /P

P Harry stared at her a few moments before continuing to walk. /P

P "So, what are you going to do now?" He asked, changing the subject. /P

P "I am not sure, the Captain has arranged for me to enroll in the Starfleet Science program." /P

P "So no worries about them studying you then?" /P

P "No, the Captain was very adamant that they not 'dissect' me to see how I 'tick'. She reasoned that since I was a Federation Citizen as a child, I should retain those rights now that I am human again." /P

P Harry only nodded as they reached a destination, the Holodecks. /P

P "Ens … Lieutenant, why have we stopped here?" Seven asked, looking at the holodeck doors. /P

P "Seven, its ok for you to call me Harry. I stopped here to get a few programs before they were erased. You never know when the 'Captain Proton' program might be useful. Or Sandrines, or some of Tom's other programs." /P

P He answered her as he inputted the instructions for the computer to transfer the programs to his PADD. After receiving a acknowledging beep, he removed the PADD and placed it in his duffel bag. /P

P "Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Harry said as he turned to face her. /P

P "Why is that Harry?" she asked, confused by his words. /P

P "Well, you have your life to rebuild, the Science Academy to enter and …" he trailed off, having been moments away from mentioned her relationship with Chakotay. "… and I have my life to rebuild. We'll probably never see each other again." /P

P "I see," she said in a monotone voice, saddened by that though. /P

P "I'd like to say it has been a pleasure knowing you, Seven," he said as he extended his hand to her. She looked at it before slowly accepting it. /P

P "And I you, Harry." She replied, he just smiled before releasing her hand and walking away down the corridor and out of her life forever. /P

P She watched him disappear around the corner before breaking into tears and running after him. She reached to corner only to find nothing. He had vanished into thin air, the long hallway was deserted. /P

P Holding back her tears she ran to Cargo Bay 2 where she fell against the small cot she had begun to use for sleep. The tears began falling as the doors hissed closed. /P

P Harry Kim, the first person to treat Seven as a person, her first friend, was now gone from her life forever. /P

P /P /BODY

/HTML


	2. Part 2

Harry sighed as the site-to-site transport finished. He appeared in the middle of New York's Central Park. He had known Seven would run after him, he didn't know the reason, but he knew it would happen. He had setup the transport while downloading the holo-programs.  
  
He had no intention of going to visit his parents, he didn't intend on seeing anyone. He just wanted to lose himself in the thrall of humanity in a city that knew no names. He wanted to forget everything and everyone that had been a part of his life for the past 7 years.  
  
He had requested a few weeks off from Starfleet, they had granted it with no questions asked. Now he stood ready to disappear. With a steadying breath he took a step towards the city, getting swallowed by the crowds.  
  
He wasn't sure if he would go back to Starfleet, he thought about going AWOL, but his sense of duty prevented that. At the end of his leave he would return to San Francisco and take whatever job they assigned him.  
  
==  
  
Three weeks after his arrival Harry Kim left the city of New York, his transport heading for Starfleet Headquarters.  
  
After several hours he arrived at the terminal. Grabbing his one bag he left the shuttle and walked to the assignment office.  
  
"My name is Harry Kim, I've come for my next assignment," he told the receptionist.  
  
"One moment please," she replied as she put his name into the computer, his datafile appearing instantly. "You're from Voyager, aren't you?"  
  
Harry sighed, he knew this would happen, he never wanted the attention. So he merely plastered on his fake smile as he answered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, according to this Admiral Paris wants to see you personally."  
  
Harry was startled for a moment before nodding and turning from her. He silently left the office as he made his way to where the Admiralty had their offices. After announcing himself to the receptionist there, he was ushered up to Admiral Paris' office.  
  
"Admiral." Harry said with a salute as he entered the office, Paris returning the salute.  
  
"Sit down Mr. Kim"  
  
"Thank you Sir." Harry said as he sat in the chair the Admiral indicated.  
  
"I am sure that you're wondering why I wanted to see you, correct?" Harry only nodded, "Well, I have a special mission for you. How would you feel about serving as Ops officer on a deep space mission? I know you've just returned from the Delta Quadrant, but at least consider it. At present you are the most qualified person for the position, having already been at the job for 7 years."  
  
"Sir, may I ask where the mission will be sent?"  
  
"I won't lie to you Harry, we're sending a mission to the fringes of the Delta Quadrant. We want a report about what's closest to us there. Voyager passed by the fringe due to the Transwarp conduit."  
  
"Sir I'll take the assignment. Have any other Voyager crewmembers been offered this mission?"  
  
"No, you're the only one," Paris replied. "They all requested assignments in this Quadrant. You'll be the only one with Delta Quadrant experience on the mission."  
  
"Understood Sir, when does it leave?"  
  
"0700 tomorrow, report to Space Dock pad 3, your XO will meet you, his name is Franklin. I'd advise you say any good-byes tonight. Please remember that this mission is classified. The general view is that we just got you people back, so why send anyone else back there. This mission is very important Harry."  
  
"Understood Sir, and thank you." Harry said as he stood and saluted.  
  
"You're welcome Mr. Kim. Dismissed."  
  
With that Harry turned and left the office. Admiral Paris returned to his computer, Harry's file on screen. The request for deep-space duty highlighted.  
  
"Why did you request Deep-Space after returning from there? What happened to you Mr. Kim." Paris wondered as he closed and sealed Harry's record. Setting about getting the young man granted top secret clearance for the mission.  
  
==  
  
Harry looked up at the building that housed his parent's new apartment. After his disappearance in the Delta Quadrant they had sold the house, there were too many memories there. Now they lived overlooking San Francisco Bay.  
  
Ringing the buzzer his mother answered the door.  
  
"Hello young man, can I help you?" she asked, not having seen Harry for seven years.  
  
"Mom," was all he said as he wrapped her in a hug.  
  
"Harry!" his mother practically yelled as realization dawned, bringing his father from the other room in a heartbeat.  
  
"Dad," he said as his father hugged him.  
  
They stood there for several minutes before moving to the living room.  
  
After making sure he was real and not an illusion, they sat on the couch, asking him questions.  
  
"We had heard that Voyager had gotten back three weeks ago, why didn't you come to see us then?" his mother asked as she held his hand.  
  
"I needed to put my life in focus. I needed time to sort through all that I've seen over the past 7 years."  
  
His mother looked worried, but his father nodded.  
  
"Well, we're glad you're back. There was a young woman here a week or so ago, said she knew you from Voyager. She didn't leave her name." His mother said after a few moments silence.  
  
Harry took the information in stride, only one person would seek him out Seven of Nine. His disappearing trick on the ship must have really messed with her.  
  
"Seven," he whispered after a moment, barely loud enough for his parents to hear.  
  
"7?" his father asked.  
  
"Yes, Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01."  
  
"That sounds almost like a Borg designation," his mother said, wringing her hand sin worry.  
  
"It is," Harry replied as he leaned back against the couch, his eyes closed. "We severed her from the Borg almost 4 years ago, since then she's been a member of the crew."  
  
"Oh," his mother replied as she looked at his father.  
  
"So, where you staying Harry?" his father asked, changing the subject.  
  
"No where, I leave for my new assignment tomorrow morning. I just wanted to come by and let you know I was ok." Harry stood up, getting ready to leave. "It's a deep-space mission, 5-years. I can't tell you any more than that, it's classified. Mom, Dad, it was good seeing you again."  
  
He then hugged and kissed his mother, and gave his father a hug before walking to the door.  
  
"Harry, would you like to stay for dinner?"  
  
==  
  
Harry ended up staying the night, he left early the next morning, leaving a note for his parents.  
  
Arriving at the terminal he presented his transport papers. Stepping onto the pad he was soon standing in the transporter room of the Space Dock, his assignment waiting for him.  
  
Reaching pad 3 he found a man in hid mid-thirties waiting for him. He had a red hair and a beard to match. His eyes sparkled blue with curiosity. He was about 5 foot nine and was an athlete by his build.  
  
"Commander Franklin?" Harry asked as he approached.  
  
"You must be Lieutenant Kim, we've heard a lot about you and Voyager. Yes, I am your XO, Commander Franklin. Welcome to the NCCX-5147 USS Columbia."  
  
"Columbia, Sir?"  
  
"Yes, named after one of the shuttles from the early 21st Century apparently. Burned up on re-entry, sad really. I'll tell you more about her later, But this ship won't burn up," he said with a grin. Harry could tell he and the Commander would get along fine.  
  
After walking through several hallways, each of which required a higher security clearance, they arrived at a small shuttle pod. Franklin stopped them before the pod's door.  
  
"Now Harry, do you mind if I call you Harry?"  
  
"No, that's what everyone called me, even on duty."  
  
"Good," Franklin replied with his ever present smile. "The Columbia is an experimental craft, that's the reason for all the security and secrecy. You may not know it but we are deep inside the Space Dock, in the Restricted sector reserved for classified vessels. Are you ready to see the ship?"  
  
Harry only nodded as Franklin opened the door leading to the shuttle pod. Harry followed, getting a brief glimpse of the ship.  
  
As the pod detached from the dock, Harry was able to see the entire ship in its magnificence. Its hull design was a modified version of Voyager's, the Generated Ablative Armor that Admiral Janeway brought from the future installed, along with, Harry assumed, the Transphasic torpedoes as well.  
  
The over hull design was further swept back than Voyager's, giving it a more graceful appearance. The saucer section was nestled deeper into the body of the ship, almost looking like a spoon. But it was the body and nacelles that caught his attention. The body was angled to a blunt point at the aft, the nacelles were mounted in a fixed position to the body, no wings this time. The nacelles had a green glow rather than the normal blue.  
  
"What is she?" he managed to ask once the shock wore off.  
  
"She's a hybrid science/scout vessel based off a modified version of Voyager, she's called the Voyager class. As you can tell she has the Generated Ablative Armor and Transphasic Torpedoes brought from the future as well as a working hybrid slipstream/warp drive, there are also a few Borg modifications installed." At Harry's astonished look he held up his hand. "All will be explained by the Captain once you meet him."  
  
Harry only nodded as the shuttle pod reached the hanger door located in the blunted point. Once the docking maneuvers were completed, the hatch opened and they stepped out.  
  
"Follow me I'll take you to that Bridge," Franklin said before heading off, Harry following behind him as a construction crew rushed to take the pod they just vacated.  
  
"Why aren't the transporters being used?" Harry asked ass they walked.  
  
Franklin appeared to sort of cringe at the question.  
  
"Ah, you see, they're classified as well," he replied, drawing a raised eyebrow from Harry.  
  
After that silence prevailed until they reached the Bridge. Harry looked around him, it was almost a duplicate of Voyager's Bridge, only more compact and streamlined.  
  
In the Captain's chair sat a man in his early fifties, his graying hair shaved close to his scalp. He was of African decent, but Harry could hear him speaking with absolutely no accent except for a hint of New York City.  
  
"Captain Sharif, may I present Lieutenant Harry Kim, our Ops Officer." Franklin announced as he and Harry stood in front of the Captain.  
  
"Mr. Kim," he said in a soft yet powerful voice.  
  
"Sir," Harry said with a salute. The Captain returned the salute and sat for a moment, sizing Harry up.  
  
Harry was doing the same thing, Sharif had brown eyes that spoke of an inner peace, and he wore a close shaven goatee, also in the early stages of graying.  
  
After a moment of deliberation the Captain stood up and grasped Harry's arm.  
  
"Welcome to the Columbia Mr. Kim, please accompany me to my ready room. Franklin, please come too."  
  
He was met with a chorus of 'Aye Sir' as he led them to the ready room.  
  
"Have a seat gentlemen and we can begin briefing Mr. Kim." He sat at his desk as they found places in the chairs before him.  
  
"Now, Mr. Kim, most of what we are about to tell you is classified, but since you are already familiar with most of it, your security clearance is almost higher than mine." Sharif replied with a smile when Harry looked embarrassed. "Now I'm sure Franklin has told you a few details, but we'd like to explain more now. Mr. Franklin you may begin."  
  
With a nod Franklin stood up began the briefing on the viewscreen.  
  
"Now Harry, what I told you was just the basics. This ship is armed with Quantum torpedoes in addition to the Transphasic ones Voyager brought with her. The Generated Ablative Armor that you noticed has also been integrated along with several Borg shield modifications, our shields are 130% stronger than they were before. Now this part is only between you, me, and the Captain. The Warp Drive is equipped with a working Transwarp Coil. However it is only to be used to get to the Delta Quadrant and back, the power drain is too great. You're probably wondering how we can have all this technology working when Voyager only returned three weeks ago, correct?"  
  
Harry could only nod, dumbfounded as he took all the advancements in.  
  
"We've been working on most of these since we established contact with you via Pathfinder, the boys in R&D were very eager to get to work on most of these modifications, they were finished by the time Voyager returned home. The ones that we needed to wait on Voyager for were finished in the last 3 weeks. Admiral Paris insisted that Captain Janeway send as much of the technological advancements that she could. As for the technology brought by the future Admiral Janeway, that was simply based off technology developed onboard Voyager. Now, the Astrometrics Lab that you built has been added as a basic design to all new starships. As for the transporters, they too have been modified by both Borg technology and the research done by the Hansen's. The ship uses bio-neural jel-packs with an isolinear secondary system, just like Voyager, and like her, we have modified the EPS conduits and other plasma flow systems with Borg technology. All of the modifications are, I believe, ones that you yourself, helped to install. Any questions?"  
  
Harry could only look at him stunned before he picked his jaw up off the floor.  
  
"Yes, I know, she's impressive. She's also the prototype, so you can see why all the security and clearances are required." Sharif asked after Harry assimilated this information.  
  
"Yes Sir, I would like to say that I look forward to our mission Sir. May I ask what it is exactly?"  
  
"You may, our mission falls under the Pathfinder Project, that's why Admiral Paris choose you himself. He actually had several reasons, your familiarity with the technology and the Delta Quadrant, but I digress. Our mission is to explore the fringes of the Delta Quadrant and to strategically place relay stations for Pathfinder. It is the Admiral's hope that we may be able to eventually contact a few of the more friendly races that you encountered."  
  
Harry only nodded as he took this in as well.  
  
"May I respectfully ask where my quarters are Sir?" Harry asked once he was able to.  
  
"Yes you may, Franklin, please escort him to his quarters. Harry, get some rest, you look exhausted."  
  
"Thank you Sir, I will." Harry replied as he followed Franklin.  
  
==  
  
Seven looked around the quarters she was sharing with her roommate. She had, as expected, been accepted into the Starfleet Science Academy. While she didn't like the idea of sharing quarters with another person, she believed that she could 'adapt'.  
  
As she placed her books on her desk, she looked around her sparsely populated corner. She had very little in the way of personal effects, a few books from the Captain, a framed picture or two and various little items given to her over the years. One of the most prized possessions in her collection was hidden away from view. Hidden so only she could see it.  
  
It was a small bear, holding a little plastic sign with the words "I Missed You" written on it in red ink. She smiled as she thought about it. Harry had given it to her shortly after she had been rescued from the Borg. She smiled as she remembered how it happened.  
  
She had been in the Cargo Bay, working at her console when Ensign Kim walked in. He was smiling and hiding something behind his back. As he approached her, his smile began to fade and a look of apprehension replaced it.  
  
"Hey Seven, how are you feeling?" he asked as he leaned against her console, the object still behind his back.  
  
"I am ..." she paused, having been about to say 'undamaged' but was she? "unsure."  
  
"About what?" he asked.  
  
"When I was taken by the Borg, they wanted me because I was regaining my humanity. They felt I would be able to assist in assimilating humanity. Yet the entire time I was at Unimatrix 01, all I could think about was escaping and returning to Voyager."  
  
"Seven, that's a normal feeling when you're taken from the place you consider home. You want to get back there as soon as possible, in any way possible. That's the way I felt about Earth."  
  
"Felt?" she asked, aware as ever to his phrasing of words. "But I was under the impression that you, along with the rest of the crew, considered Earth home."  
  
"I did, but after all these years, I consider Voyager home, and that home, I feel, belongs in the Delta Quadrant." He paused a second to gather his courage. "But I do know that it wouldn't be 'home' without you Seven, here."  
  
He then handed her a small red bag, which she carefully took.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Open it and find out," he replied, not giving her any clues.  
  
She opened the bag to find a small white bear staring out at her. She reached in and gently pulled it from the bag. She read the sign he was holding and looked at Harry for an answer.  
  
"You were gone for awhile, and I missed you. So I got you that bear to say 'welcome home'" he said with a cheesy grin.  
  
"Thank you Ensign, it's ... cute," she replied with a quirk of her eyebrow and the faintest hint of a smile.  
  
"That's what friends are for Seven, to cheer each other up and welcome them home after they were away. Well, I'd better get going, see you later."  
  
He then left, Seven just looked at the bear before hugging it close to her. It even smelled like him, she smiled at this thought.  
  
She was awakened from her daydream by her room mate returning. Seven's eyes wandered over her meager possessions before landing on an image. Picking it up she examined it. It was a photo of the entire Senior Staff at one of Neelix's 'morale parties,' Seven was there, along with the Doctor. They had all posed for this image, the entire staff receiving a copy. She looked happy standing next to Ensign Kim, who was smiling as he held an umbrella drink in his hand.  
  
Shaking herself from her dreams she looked at the Chronometer, she only had a few minutes to get ready for her date with Chakotay. With a sad sigh she replaced the picture, wishing that it were Harry she had the date with and not Chakotay.  
  
==  
  
The three sat around a small table in a café.  
  
"Thank you for coming," Janeway said as she sipped her coffee.  
  
"Thank you for inviting us Captain," Tom replied as B'Elanna nodded.  
  
"Where's your daughter?"  
  
"With Neelix, since they made him a 'Liaison to Starfleet on the Delta Quadrant', he's been able to hang around more. He's so good with the children, that he thought about opening a daycare center." B'Elanna said with a laugh at the thought.  
  
"So long as they don't let him serve Leola root, they'll be fine." Janeway replied, herself laughing at the thought.  
  
"But that's not why I asked you here. I wanted to see how you were doing."  
  
"Us? We're fine. Tom has a teaching job at the Academy, he's gonna train the next generation of 'Ace pilots'. Meanwhile I have a design team job at Starfleet Engineering Research."  
  
"That's not what I meant B'Elanna, I mean how are you doing away from the Delta Quadrant?"  
  
"We're adjusting, but it's hard. After all, out daughter was born there."  
  
"We don't really miss the Delta Quadrant itself, Captain," Tom said. "It's the close community of Voyager that we miss. We miss not being able to go down the hall and talk to Harry, or Neelix. We miss seeing Naomi playing with Miral."  
  
Janeway only nodded, she understood completely how they felt.  
  
"But we are home now, we can't go back. But we can keep that community spirit alive. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call me. Tuvok and Chakotay wanted me to say the same. Now for the question that's been bugging the entire former Senior Staff. Where has our young Harry gotten himself off to?"  
  
"I haven't seen him since he was promoted," B'Elanna said, looking at Tom who confirmed.  
  
"No one has, that's the problem, and it's been over a month, almost 2. I've asked around Starfleet HQ, but his files appear to be sealed, and no one will answer any of my questions."  
  
"Don't worry about it Captain, I'm sure we'll hear something from him. So how is Tuvok?" Tom asked, changing to a less complicated subject.  
  
"He returned to Vulcan, T'Pel and his children meeting him when he arrived. He too put in for a teaching position at the Academy. And Chakotay has taken the Captaincy of the USS Belmont, a Defiant-Class Escort vessel, he's been running Escort for the Admiralty."  
  
"You know, thinking about Chakotay, I think that's why Harry disappeared. You should have seen his face when he learned that Chakotay and Seven were 'romantically affiliated' he was crushed, it was like all the life was sucked from his body."  
  
Janeway nodded before answering.  
  
"Yes, I noticed that too, his work never suffered so I never said anything about it. now I wish I had."  
  
B'Elanna put her hand on top of the Captain's.  
  
"Captain, there was no way you could know what would happen once we got back. For all we know Harry could be holed up in a bar somewhere in Paris right now, or he could have put in for Deep-Space duty."  
  
"Harry wouldn't do that, he just got home." Janeway said, startled by that thought.  
  
"I know, that's what makes it so unrealistic," B'Elanna replied with a smile as she leaned back in her chair.  
  
== 


	3. Part 3

It only took the ship 2 months to arrive at the fringe of the Delta Quadrant. During the 2 months Harry had learned that all the vast knowledge of _Voyager's_ databanks had been added to the ship's library; medical, tactical, xenobiology, everything. He even learned about the _Voyager_ holoprogram that some of the crew had developed from the mission logs.

Harry smiled to himself when he discovered this program, he knew that much of his holodeck time would be here with the people he knew and loved.

He found it amusing that the crew would decide to recreate all the adventures that _Voyager_ had been on. He'd have to send Tom a message about this.

One of the drawbacks to Transwarp/Slipstream was that no messages could be sent or received.

The next few weeks passed quickly for Harry, he was settling into the routine of normal ship life. His introductions to the rest of the crew had been varied, he mainly met them as he worked with them. The first person he met was the Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Nicholi Jacobson, head of Security. Jacobson was from a Russian-American family from somewhere in Boston. He spoke with a mix of a slight Bostonian and Russian accent. He was a large man, easily weighing 250, and stood a good six feet. As soon as Harry met him he knew they would be friends, he reminded him a lot of Neelix, always happy.

As he worked with his Operations team, he learned that none of them new about the technology that the ship held. She was a mystery to her own crew.

Once they dropped from Slipstream, they began the tedious task of mapping their general area, fortunately the Astrometrics Lab was fully operational.

After a few short months he had met every crewmember on the ship, all 200 of them. Harry had been assigned to train the newly formed 'Astrometrics Department' in the use of the equipment, needless to say this ate a lot of his time. On the plus side he met some nice crewmembers, he hoped he could call some of them friends one day.

He knew that he would never find the same kinship he had with Tom and B'Elanna, but he hoped he could find something close.

Harry got his wish for friends in the most unexpected form, Captain Sharif, and Commander Franklin.

Harry had been running a Martial Arts training program, trying to keep in shape, when the Captain had walked in.

"Oh, Captain, I'm sorry. Did you have this time reserved?" Harry asked as he stood at attention, Sharif looking around the holodeck.

"No, I sometimes pop in to meditate or see what the crew is indulging in. What discipline are you studying?" he asked, gesturing at their surroundings.

"Karate Sir."

"Interesting, I myself have studied a few forms, would you care to spar, Lieutenant?" Sharif asked with a challenging gleam in his eye.

"Yes, Sir." Harry replied as he took a defensive stance. Sharif closed his eyes before opening them and taking a stance of his own.

"Whenever you're ready Lieutenant."

Harry wasted no breath as he rushed him, a punch aimed at his head. Sharif easily blocked it with little effort, spinning Harry away as he did. Harry regained his balance and rushed in again, his leg kicking out in a sweep, trying to knock the Captain over. Sharif merely sidestepped it, delivering his own kick to the side of Harry's leg, knocking him off balance.

They continued to spar for another 20 minutes before Harry finally gave up, having not landed a single blow.

"That was amazing, sir. What discipline was it?" Harry asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Kung Fu, the Seven circles System of Northern Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Wushu, to be precise. It has been passed through my family for generations, many of my ancestors were teachers of this Discipline."

"Could you teach it to me?" Harry asked as he slowly stood, bowing to show humility to the victor.

"I haven't had a student in years. I would welcome the opportunity. You have the evening shift on Fridays, do you not?"

"Yes sir, I have my mornings open, if that's what you're asking," Harry replied with a grin.

"Very well, meet me here Friday morning at around 1000 hours, dress in a black uniform if you can. The replicator database should be able to replicate a traditional Kung Fu uniform for you."

They bowed in a sign of mutual respect before Sharif left the aching Harry.

==

After that day, he and the Captain met every Friday to train. Occasionally Franklin would join them, but not too often.

"You're getting better Harry," Sharif said after putting Harry through the wringer, they had been training together for the past 6 months. The drills they had been working on were designed to strengthen his center of balance, harness his Chi, and use that to maintain his focus.

"Thank you sir, I have an excellent teacher," Harry replied with a grin as he bowed, their session at and end.

"Now for next time I want you to …" he was cut off as the ship went into Red Alert.

"Red Alert, Captain to the Bridge, All hands to Battle Stations." Franklin's voice came over the Comm. Harry and Sharif wasted no time as they rushed to the Bridge.

"Report," the Captain barked as he entered, Harry relieving the Ensign at Ops.

"Captain, there is an unidentified vessel 40 000 kilometers off our port bow and closing." Harry replied as he scanned the data on his screens.

"Open channels."

Harry nodded, signaling an open channel.

"This is Captain Sharif of the Federation Starship _Columbia_. Please state your intentions and identity."

"No response Captain," Harry answered at his look.

"Incoming fire," Jacobson reported from his station.

Seconds later the ship was rocked by a barrage of fire.

"Return fire," Sharif yelled as he regained his footing.

"Aye," Jacobson replied even as the torpedoes were streaking towards their target.

Impact!

The torpedoes hit a major system on their opponent, the ship began venting gases and fluids as she began to spin out of control.

"Direct hit, Captain. I don't think they have shields, at least not very good ones."

"Thank you for that observation Mr. Jacobson, Harry I .."

"Incoming volley," Jacobson interrupted.

The crippled vessel had fired the rest of her compliment of torpedoes at the _Columbia_, the crew had no choice but to brace for the impact.

The torpedoes hit; One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. The ship rocked with each impact. Consoles began exploding, structural support beams falling from the ceiling. Harry managed to cover his face as his console exploded in an array of sparks, burning his arms.

Shortly after that they saw their opponent explode, whether intentional or not, they didn't know, and didn't care.

"Damage Report," Sharif said as he looked around his damaged Bridge.

"Jacobson is dead sir," Franklin said as he directed the Captain's attention to what remained of the Security Station. Now it was crushed beneath a structural beam, an arm laying limp beneath that.

Sharif sighed as he took that in.

"Reports coming in from all decks sir. Five dead, 50 injured, 10 of those critically. Hull breach on Deck 5 Section 32, it's one of the empty Cargo Bays." Harry said as the reports came in.

"Very good, Lieutenant, dispatch an engineering team to Deck 5 Section 32, seal that breach. Call a medical team for the Commander, Kim, Franklin, meet me in my Ready Room in 20 minutes."

"Ensign Kenis," he said turning to the Bajoran helmsman, "find us a place to hide and repair, I don't want another surprise attack."

At her nod Sharif took one last sweeping look around the Bridge before entering the turbolift and making his way to Sickbay.

=

20 minutes later, Franklin and Harry stood in front of the Captain.

"Gentlemen, I hate to say this but that attack caught us unprepared. The Doctor thinks that at least half of the critically wounded won't make it. We now need to assign a new Chief of Security. Mr. Kim, once we find a new Security Chief, I want you to work with him, you're my new Second Officer. Nicholi was a good man, he served with me for years. Mr. Kim, I want you to put together a simulator, we need to train this crew to expect the unexpected."

"If I may sir," Harry began, "the crew has already developed a similar program. They wrote a holoprogram based off _Voyager's_ mission. I can choose some of the more difficult missions from the logs and use them in the _Voyager_ program. That may be the best way to train them, seeing as how this ship is based off her."

"Very well Lieutenant, let me know once that's done. Commander Franklin, I leave the assigning of the new Security Officer to you."

A chorus of 'Aye Sir' met his ears as he dismissed them to their tasks.

==

Seven awoke to the annoying sound of her alarm clock, 0630.

Too early to be awake, she thought as she struggled to rise. Finally achieving her task she sat up and looked at the clock, 0635. She had time for a shower before class. It had been 8 months since _Voyager_ had returned from the Delta Quadrant, and since then all she had been doing was studying at the Academy and going on an occasional date with Chakotay.

Chakotay was nice, Seven mused irrelevantly, but there was something about him that puzzled her. It's not that she didn't enjoy the time she spent with him, she had to conclude that it was 'fun'. But when he kissed her goodnight, or held her as they danced, her body screamed 'this is wrong, this isn't the man that should be holding you.'

Seven quickly pushed those thoughts aside as she stood up and moved towards the shower, grabbing her uniform on the way.

==

"Remind me again why we're going to see my father?"

"He's the only Admiral that we haven't talked to about Harry yet, he may know something."

With a resigned sigh, Tom admitted that she was right, settling his daughter on his hip, he rang the chime on his father's door.

A moment later, the elder Paris opened the door, shocked to see his son standing there.

"Tom?" he asked quietly.

"Hello Sir," Tom said as he was quickly wrapped in his father's arms. Careful of Miral, Tom returned the hug the best he could, B'Elanna just smiled.

Releasing his son from the hug, Owen Paris quickly ushered them inside.

"Dad, you already know B'Elanna, but this is Miral."

"Nice to see you again B'Elanna," he replied with a genuine smile for his daughter-in-law.

"Hello Miral," he said to the infant.

"Miral," her father began, "this is your grandfather, Admiral Paris."

Miral shyly buried her head in her father's shoulder, hiding her smile. With a laugh B'Elanna took her daughter and sat on the couch.

"Now, I know you didn't come just to see your father Tom, now did you?" Owen asked as he and Tom sat as well. Tom sat next to B'Elanna while Owen sat in the chair across from them, leaning forward Tom answered.

"Well sir," he began, "we were wondering if you could tell us what happened to Harry Kim. We've been to the rest of the Admiralty and they say they have no idea. We were hoping you could tell us. You see, we're worried about him, he disappeared after the welcome home ceremony and no one from _Voyager_ has seen him since."

"Tom, I can understand you're concern for your friend, but I can't tell you anything, it's classified."

Tom heaved a sigh of relief at this statement.

"So he's still alive," B'Elanna breathed.

"Yes," Owen confirmed. "I can't tell you much about his current mission, but what I can tell you I will. Upon his return to Earth, Mr. Kim put in for a deep-space assignment. He was given a position on an experimental deep-space exploration vessel. Its mission length is five years."

At this, both Tom and B'Elanna were stunned silent, her comment in jest to Janeway had been the truth.

"Why?" Tom managed to stutter out after a few moments.

"I'm not sure, I was hoping to find out. Do you have any idea why?"

Tom and B'Elanna exchanged looks before she spoke.

"We have one idea, Seven of Nine."

"The former drone? What about her?" Paris asked confused.

"Harry has been in love with her since she came onboard, every time he made an advance she would shoot him down cold. Just before our return to Earth she began dating Commander Chakotay. Harry's love life had been one disaster after another, you see, and her beginning a 'romantic affiliation' with the Commander was just too much for Harry. After that he began to withdraw into himself, Bea and I were worried, but everything we tried failed. He didn't want to be helped. The funny thing is, after the ceremony, I went to Harry's quarters to see if he was ok. When I entered I found Seven laying on his bed crying. She managed to tell me about how he disappeared from the corridor, how she ran to the Cargo Bay but ended up in his quarters. Harry doesn't know it, but Seven's lost without him." Tom explained.

"I see," Paris said thoughtfully. "And where is Seven now?"

"At the Science Academy," B'Elanna answered as she shifted the now sleeping Miral into a more comfortable position.

"I'm sorry Tom, B'Elanna, but Mr. Kim is already on the mission. He has been for the past 8 months. I wish I could help you more than that, but as I said it's classified."

"We would have come sooner, but we've been busy settling in and all," Tom explained lamely.

"We understand, Sir," B'Elanna added, "and we appreciate the help that you've given us. Is there any way to send a message to them?"

"Not at present, but once they establish contact with us I'll be able to send Mr. Kim any messages you give me."

B'Elanna nodded and looked to her husband.

"Well sir, thank you. We have to leave, we've got to go put Miral to bed." Tom said as he and B'Elanna stood.

"Please stop by anytime, I'd be happy to see you, both of you." Paris replied as he walked them to the door, hugging them as they left.

"We will .. Dad, you can count on it," Tom said as the door closed behind him, cutting off the view of Admiral Paris' smile.

==

Kathryn Janeway took a steadying breath as she rang the buzzer.

"Yes?" A voice called from the other side of the door as it slid open. "Captain Janeway, what brings you here?"

"You're son, may I come in?" the other woman nodded as she lead the Captain to the couch.

"Would you like some coffee?" she asks, Janeway smiles as she accepts, never one to refuse a cup of coffee. "John went out for a few minutes just before you arrived. He should be back shortly." Mary Kim called from the kitchen of their apartment.

"That's fine, but I was hoping to speak with you. I hear that Harry stayed here before he left for his new assignment. Did he say anything?"

"No, he didn't," she replied as she returned with two cups. "He's not hurt is he?" she asked with a start as she sat down.

"No, nothing like that," Janeway said in appeasing tones. "It's just that we, his friends, are all worried about him. He left without so much as a goodbye to any of us. I was hoping you could tell us anything."

"He stayed the night, and then left before we woke up. All he left was this PADD." She explained as she handed the device to the Captain. "That's the best I can do to help. He did mention the name of a woman that came looking for him, I think he said Seven or something like that?"

"Seven of Nine?"

"That's what it was, who is she Captain?"

"She was … is the woman that Harry fell in love with, the only problem is she didn't return the feelings. To make it worse she began dating my XO just before we found our way home. Harry never mentioned it to anyone, but I know that he still loves her, I know that he'd die for her."

Janeway paused to clear her throat, thinking about a love like that still had the power to choke her up. She stopped in mid-clear as all the pieces fell into place.

"My word, I know why he left. Seven, he left so that she could get on with her life. I'm guessing he figured out of sight, out of mind. That explains almost everything, his 3-week leave of duty then his disappearance. He was avoiding anything and everything connected to _Voyager_, he didn't want to think about the ship because that would make him think about Seven. I have to let Tom and B'Elanna know, may I take this PADD with me?"

"Of course, its message is too cryptic for John and I to figure out."

"Thank you Mary, you've been a great help," Janeway said as she stood and walked to the door.

"No, thank you. You've explained a mystery that John and I have been trying to solve for these past 8 months."

With a smile, Kathryn Janeway walked out of the Kim's apartment armed with new and vital information.

==

Kathryn Janeway sat at the table, sipping her coffee and reading the PADD the Kim's had given her.

"You're late," she said without looking up.

"I know, I'm sorry," he replied as he sat down.

"That's fine, Tom and B'Elanna have gathered some more information about our missing Mr. Kim. I did a little digging of my own, too. I thought you'd like to know why he left." She said taking another sip as she placed the PADD on the table between them.

"I would be interested, yes."

"Well, having talked with Tom and B'Elanna we've developed a reasonable hypothesis as to why he disappeared. But first, I'll tell you where he is. He's on a five year deep-space mission, apparently he requested it once we returned."

"Any idea why?" he asked as he sipped his newly arrived iced tea.

"A few, but they all have to do with you Captain, or more precisely, who you are dating."

She watched as realization dawned on his face.

"Seven? He disappeared to deep space because of Seven and I?"

"That's correct. Chakotay, you above all people must know how Harry feels about her."

He only nodded, words failing him.

"He loves her, as far as I can tell," He answered after a moment's reflection.

"He does, he confided in me once that he would die for her if he needed to. This was of course after he was injured and was slightly incoherent. I'm still not sure who he thought I was at the time." She shared a grin with Chakotay at the memory, his dimples flashing into existence, momentarily taking her breath away.

"So you can see why he disappeared?"

"Yes, he was trying to distance himself from anything that would remind him of Seven, that means _Voyager_ and all her crew."

Janeway nodded as she picked up the PADD.

"This is a note that he left for his parents. I want you to read it, tell me what you think."

Chakotay took the PADD and began to read;

__

Mom and Dad,

I know that my visit was too short, and I'm sorry for that. But I have to leave, I need time away from anything and everything that I know. I need time to take stock of my life, too much has happened to me in the Delta Quadrant. Someday, when I return, I'll tell you about it.

I know that Voyager_ has been back for several weeks, but I had to gather my thoughts. Yes I know, that's why I took the deep space mission, but I needed to see what direction I wanted my life to go. At the end I decided I would return to Starfleet and take whatever assignment they gave me, ironic that it was the mission I'm leaving for now._

I want you to do me a favor, if anyone from Voyager_ comes looking for me, I want you to treat them like family. That's what they are to me, my family. If you ever see Seven of Nine again, please tell her I'm sorry for not being candidate material and even sorrier I was such a lousy friend._

Well, I guess I'll see you in 5 years.

Love always,

Harry.

Chakotay lowered the PADD and met Kathryn's eyes. He struggled for words, finding his tongue after a few tries.

"Well," he began slowly, "I guess that explains a lot."

"Yes it does, but it still leaves a few questions. Mainly what are you going to do about Seven? I can see the strain in your relationship, Chakotay."

He took a deep breath before replying.

"Yes, it is rather obvious isn't it? I knew there was something strange with Seven picking me for a 'romantic affiliation' out of all the crew. What I personally think is that she was running away from her true feelings, building a false reality, denying the fact the she loves Ensign .. I mean _Lieutenant_ Kim."

"So, what are you going to do about Seven? You can't keep stringing her along, that wouldn't be right."

"I know," he replied as he ran his hand through his hair, ending the movement with a sigh. "I guess I'll have to break it off, I know we're better off as friends. The hard part will be telling her its over."

"Isn't that always the hardest part?" Janeway asked with a gentle smile. Having aired the concern for their missing friend, Janeway changed the conversation.

"So, tell me Chakotay, how does it feel to be a lackey for the Admiralty?"

He only smiled as he formulated an answer.

==


End file.
